June 07, 2014

Ghostwriting: Brisk Business in LinkedIn Profiles

Everything changes. That includes the kinds of materials we ghostwriters do.

Increasingly I am getting requests to re-do professionals' LinkedIn profiles. They discovered that those profiles weren't accomplishing the things they expected. Those ranged from getting the edge in applying for jobs to being invited to participate in panels or deliver keynote speeches.

The major problem with their first attempt is that, essentially, they replicated their resumes. Instead, they should have stepped back and asked themselves these questions:

What action or action do you need the reader to take? That will determine everything from tone to what details are highlighted.

In my own early stabs at my ghostwriting profile I ignored the basic reality that the action had to be for prospects to purchase my services. There was too much branding and not enough Why You Need Me.

What differentiates you? The profile has to create unique space for professionals. There's a glut in just about every field.

What experiences or accomplishments are now your signature? Here, don't get stuck in time. No one cares that you were on the first Mac team at Apple. Everyone will pay attention that are on the team at an Apple competitor designing the post-smartphone.

What jobs helped shape you? Did you work at Edelman when the organization was developing its brandname with leadership surveys?

What education and training count? Most listings of these kinds of credentials are mere space holders. They pull their weight when they are platforms for differentiating you. For example, at University X you studied with ABC research team focused on artificial intelligence.

LinkedIn profiles are fluid. They should capture the marketability of professionals. When they don't, they have to be overhauled. We are our LinkedIn profiles. They have become that critical.